Wireless networks are telecommunications networks that use radio waves to carry information from one node in the network to one or more receiving nodes in the network. Cellular telephony is characterized by the use of radio cells that provide radio coverage for a regional or geographic area, with multiple cells arranged to provide contiguous radio coverage over a larger regional or geographic area. Wired communication can also be used in portions of a wireless network, such as between cells or access points.
Wireless communication technologies are used in connection with many applications, including, for example, satellite communications systems, portable digital assistants (PDAs), laptop computers, and mobile devices (e.g., cellular telephones, user equipment). Users of such devices can connect to a network (e.g., the Internet). When these devices initially connect to a network, gateways in the network select downstream network nodes for establishing network connections or network sessions with the devices.